The Gospel at Work Conference

Hosted by Johnson Ferry Baptist Church

Most people spend at least 80,000 hours of their lives working. Wouldn’t you like to know how to worship God with that time?

The Gospel at Work conference will help you think biblically about your work. Speakers will provide practical wisdom on how to approach the challenges you face in the workplace and offer insight into God’s concern for your work.

You’ll also meet godly men and women from a variety of industries for a series of very practical discussions on topics like career planning as Christians, leading in the workplace and business as a mission field.

If you wrestle with questions about your work, or if you care about someone who does, this conference is for you.

Breakout Sessions

How to Choose a Job: A Christian’s Guide To Career Planning

Sebastian Traeger | Should Christians ‘plan’ their careers or trust in God to open doors? Is it a trade-off? What are the priorities you should consider when making a job change? By applying biblical wisdom, Sebastian Traeger helps us learn to trust God with our futures by making God-honoring, practical, and grounded plans.

A Woman’s Particular Challenge: Being Faithful and Fruitful in Our Multiple Callings

Karen Guzman, Lynda Johnson, Teisha Moseley, and others | Many of us struggle with the idea of balance: (1) balancing a career and family (2) enjoying a rewarding career and maintaining a life outside of work (3) finding time to invest in ministry within our local fellowship while meeting the demands of work, home, neighborhood, etc. Is balance possible? Is it the “ideal” we want? What might it look like if I finally reached it? Join us as we assemble a panel of women who are seeking to be faithful to the things to which God has called them and whose lives look very different from each other. We hope it will encourage you to see multiple models of how different women are committed to working this out in various ways in their own lives.

Practical Workplace Evangelism

Ashok Nachnani | As cultural opposition toward Christianity grows, what is its effect on your evangelism at work? Are you more faithful or more fearful? What does it look like to be an active evangelist in the workplace? Ashok Nachnani – who himself became a Christian in large part through the witness of a co-worker – will help you think through some very practical approaches to sharing the gospel with colleagues and cultivating a more faithful workplace witness.

What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done

Matt Perman | Over the last few years, there have been lots of helpful secular books on making ideas happen and getting things done. Many of these books are super helpful. Yet, as Christians, we also need to go further. We need to ask: What does the gospel have to say about getting things done? How do we make the most of the time, yet do so in a gospel-centered way? This breakout will cast a surprising biblical vision for how to do that, avoiding the twin errors of over spiritualization (thinking that productivity doesn’t matter) and gospel neglect (thinking that the gospel has no implications for how we do our work).

Business As Mission: How Your Work Is Part of God’s Redemptive Plan

Glenn Taylor, Mike Baer, “Jonathan”, Steve Adams | God has commanded each of us to make disciples of all nations and to do good works towards human flourishing. We have all been given skills, gifts, and professional experience that he desires to use in order to accomplish His mission. The Gospel first spread through ordinary disciple-makers on the wings of trade and commerce. Come hear a diverse panel share current examples of how this is happening today and explore how God might strategically use you.

Redeeming Ambition: How the Gospel Transforms our Motives at Work

Brad Respess | After working diligently to prove that his worth to the company was not based solely on family ties, Mr. Respess nearly led his company of over 2,000 people to death. Dive into a candid discussion on the role of ambition, competency, and faith in this talk from a Christian business leader’s journey in the chicken business.

The Cure for Monday Morning Atheism

Doug Spada | Do you switch God “off” when you go to work on Monday? When was the last time you thought about God at work? Do you love God but work like he doesn’t exist?

For millions of us work doesn’t seem to have a purpose other than a paycheck. Some feel that work is a kind of suffering that must be endured. How did work become such an empty, lifeless trade-off? Come and explore the all-too common experiences of switching God off at work, and what to do about it.

Owners and Entrepreneurs: Beyond the Bottom Line

John Richie | Of course businesses have to be profitable, but is there more? How is a business’ greater purpose valuable to the enterprise, to the society and to the owners? If God examined the books and results of your business, what might he say? Learn more about how the gospel influences your organization as well as your relationships with those you do business with.